Gregg Helvey remembers riding his sled down the hill behind Middleburg’s Community Center and stopping on the way home at The Upper Crust where Mr. Stein always gave him a cookie.  In a couple of weeks, Gregg might be able to add an extra special memory to his files when he attends the 82nd Academy Awards. 

Kavi, one of the films Gregg wrote, directed and produced for his USC thesis, is nominated for an Oscar in the Short Film category. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Gregg, his wife, Margaux, his dad, Dr. Gregg Helvey, his mother, Anne, and his brother, Joe are all thoroughly excited.

“I’m still pinching myself,” the younger Helvey said.  “I couldn’t have achieved this without the help and support of so many members of my family and friends, but Margaux, my wife, has been an absolutely tremendous support.”

Gregg grew up in Middleburg, attended Hill School, Middleburg Elementary, Lincoln, Blue Ridge Middle School and Loudoun Valley High before he left for the University of Virginia to study English and French.

But his interest in film began early.

“My parents made lots of home movies and I always wanted to get my hands on the camera.”

If Gregg could convince his teachers to let him make a movie rather than write a paper or make a presentation, he was off and running with an idea a minute and the dedication it took to impress his fellow students.

After he completed his Bachelors at UVA, Gregg headed for a posh private boarding school outside London where he taught French, Religion and was photographic artist in residence. 

Three years later, he was certain he wanted to train as a filmmaker.  He applied and was accepted to the University of Southern California’s (USC’s) School of Cinematic Arts. 

For his M.F.A. thesis, Gregg wrote, directed and produced two short films:  Kavi and Overexposed. 

Kavi is a 19-minute fictional film that explores the world of “bonded labor,” a phrase used to describe modern day slavery.  Kavi was filmed entirely on location in India. 

“Not all prisons have bars,” he explained in an article about Kavi when it was the Gold Medal winner at the Student Academy Awards. 
“Although Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation over 147 years ago, the conservative estimate is that 27 million people are enslaved today.”

Gregg learned that within organized crime syndicates, human trafficking may soon become more profitable than the illegal arms trade.  He realized that, although you can only shoot a bullet or snort a line of cocaine once, a ten-year-old girl can be sold for sex 20 times in a single night.  Or, a young boy can be made to haul bricks day after day for his entire life.

“Today, people have become reusable and, when they’re finished, disposable.

“When I had the opportunity to make a film at USC, I wanted to make the most of it by telling a good story, transporting the audience to a different world and raising awareness about this important issue.”

Through his film Gregg is able to bring modern-day slavery statistics and issues to life in the story of a boy who just wants to play cricket and go to school but is forced to make bricks as a modern-day slave.

When awareness leads to action there is hope, and Kavi underscores not only the dire situation but what needs to be done as well.
Gregg emphasizes that Houston, Atlanta and Los Angeles rank frighteningly high on a world-wide human trafficking and slavery scale, and he applauds President Obama’s proclamation that “fighting modern slavery and human trafficking is a shared responsibility.”

It is Gregg’s hope that the film will do much more than entertain.  His goal is to reach at least 50,000 people with Kavi in the first year before he turns the short film into a feature length film for theatrical distribution.

Gregg already has a deep portfolio of work.  He has traveled the world to film in El Salvador, China, Kenya and England on projects ranging from BBC1 to National Geographic and independent fiction films.

“I want it to raise awareness and stir people’s hearts to action,” Gregg concluded.  “I want to combine my passion for social justice with powerful story telling.”

To see the trailer for Kavi, please visit KaviTheMovie.com.

Investors and media should contact Gregg at Helvey@KaviTheMovie.com.  

This year’s Academy Awards air Sunday, March 7th.

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